Over a long time, we assumed that they had been the ancient Egyptians – but after all, more recent studies show that it was even before.
The tradition of celebrate birthdays Dating back to thousands of years, although its exact origin remains uncertain.
While many believe the birthday celebrations started with the ancient Egyptians, more recent studies suggest that the practice is even older.
Records of old mesopotamia indicate that Sumerian kings had celebrated birthdays for over 4,000 years.
Origins
The oldest reference to birthdays celebrations comes in texts of the ancient city Sumer de Lagash, dated from Third millennium ac.
According to historian Vladimir Emelianov, these texts document birthday parties to the children of King Lugaland, who included animal sacrifices shared between the living and the deceased ancestors.
However, when Lugalanda lost power, birthdays ceased, suggesting that the practice was not widespread. That is, they would only be realized in royalty.
Os Persians They also had a strong tradition of celebrating birthdays. The Greek historian Herodoto wrote in the fifth century that the Persians considered the birthday the most important day of the yearorganizing large banquets with meat and desserts. This suggests that, at that time, the celebration of personal birthdays It was not yet common in Greek culture.
In the last years of Roman Republic (509–27 BC), the birthday parties have become more popular.
Evidence of this are in Latin comedy Pseudolus (191 BC) and letters from the famous Roman speaker Cicero, that mentioned the celebration of his daughter’s birthday in 50 AC
In the first century DC, birthday parties were already widely celebrated in Roman society, including women in distant advanced posts, such as Vindolanda, British.
Influence
Throughout history, political rulers and leaders have used birthday celebrations as a tool for can e influence.
In 1748, the Briton It has established an annual tradition of celebrating the sovereign’s birthday, something that still happens today.
During the American Revolution, however, the settlers rejected this tradition, organizing symbolic funerals to King Jorge III and render British cannons render the celebrations.
Instead, they began to celebrate the anniversary of George Washington, that eventually became national holiday In the United States in 1879.
Evolution
The modern concept of Birthday parties, with cake, candles and gifts, came much later later.
Historian Hizky Shoham suggests that industrialization He played a fundamental role in the popularization of celebrations, by reinforcing the importance of standardized time and milestones of life.
From the 1870s, the birthday parties children became popular in Western Europe and North America.
According to historian Elizabeth Pleck, this trend began among rich Protestant families in the United States, but quickly spread to all social classes.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, birthday celebrations were already following a standardized format, including cakes, candles, music and gifts.
Always present food
Despite the evolution of customs, an element of birthday celebrations has remained constant throughout history: the food sharing with the loved ones.
From mesopotamian banquets to modern birthday parties, tradition remains a significant milestone in people’s lives, gathering friends and family to celebrate.
